The charge density distribution around a rising bubble in a two-dimensional fluidized bed was measured using eight induction probes flush with the outside wall of the column and connected to charge amplifiers for recording induced charge signals as bubbles passed by. The charge distribution surrounding the bubble was reconstructed using an iterative linear back projection (LBP) algorithm by assuming that the bubble is symmetrical and the charge around the bubble remains constant as the bubble rises. The results showed that the emulsion phase far from the bubble in a two-dimensional fluidized bed of glass beads was charged negatively, and the charge density decreased gradually toward the bubble-dense phase interface, with a nearly zero charge density inside the bubble. The effects of the number of probes are also investigated. The reconstructed results using both simulated charge distribution and experimental data for different numbers of probes of the same probe diameter of 3 mm showed that increasing the number of probes can improve the reconstruction resolution. The addition of one or two more probes outside the bubble path also increased the reconstruction resolution in the region outside the bubble. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.